Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking

Biographical Note:
MICHAEL SOLOMONOV grew up in Pittsburgh and Israel and won the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. With his business partner, STEVEN COOK, he owns Philadelphia's Percy Street Barbecue, Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, and Abe Fisher.

Review Quotes:

"I'm excited to have Zahav, a compendium of Chef Solomonov's recipes, so I can recreate them." - David Lebovitz, author, My Paris Kitchen

"The great thing about Michael Solomonov is that he simply cooks from his heart. With Zahav, he has developed perhaps one of the most innovative and thoughtful restaurants in America. After years of asking him for recipes, I'm relieved to finally have his book to answer all of my questions!" - Chef Marc Vetri

"The humanity of it, that's the thing. The presence. The joy. The actual connection that's forged between the person cooking and the person eating. In Zahav, the recipes don't end when the food is done cooking--there are instructions for bringing things to the table, for how to serve, for how to eat, for how to share, for how to finish...The result is cooking that feels right for both a world-class restaurant and a home kitchen, food that's both an education and a pleasure." - Eater

". . .Solomonov shares his story as well as his wide-ranging approach to Israeli cuisine in this impressive collection of recipes that are sure to challenge readers' preconceptions. . .Readers with an adventurous palate and an open mind will be richly rewarded by this terrific debut." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Zahav's modern approach to Israeli cooking makes for the kind of book that will redefine the conversation around Middle Eastern cuisine in America." - Eater

"Each of Michael Solomonov's soulful recipes feels created by someone impassioned by one of the world's most exciting cuisines--a master of his craft. I'm smitten!" - Gail Simmons, TV Host, author, Talking With My Mouth Full

"Cooking is how Michael found himself, changed his life, and then the world around him. Michael writes that 'nothing in my life happened the way it was supposed to.' He means life in its beauty and its awful brutality. I think that his life and most importantly this book, is beshert, 'meant to be.' I believe his Zahav will be one of the most cherished books in years, with staggeringly delicious recipes from one of the brightest lights in our culinary world. I believe this book will be beshert for you too." - Andrew Zimmern, chef, anthropologist, global thought leader

"Zahav is the most honest chef's cookbook I have read in a long time. Mike's soulful depiction of his life delivers the same heart and intelligence that emanates from his restaurant. Zahav is essential reading for anyone who wants to make the food of Israel --or Philadelphia-- today." - Joan Nathan, author, The Foods of Israeli Today

"Zahav has become a staple of my Philly restaurant experience, but staples only hold pages down. Here at last are pages--and pages--of Michael Solomonov's thinking on food, community, and the recipes that get me back to Zahav every time." - Questlove

James Beard Award winner of Outstanding Restaurant (2019)

James Beard Award winner of Outstanding Chef (2017)

James Beard Book of the Year and Best International Cookbook (2016)

The James Beard Award-winning chef and co-owner of Philadelphia's Zahav restaurant reinterprets the glorious cuisine of Israel for American home kitchens.

Ever since he opened Zahav in 2008, chef Michael Solomonov has been turning heads with his original interpretations of modern Israeli cuisine, attracting notice from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, ("an utter and total revelation"), and Eater ("Zahav defines Israeli cooking in America").

Zahav showcases the melting-pot cooking of Israel, especially the influences of the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Eastern Europe. Solomonov's food includes little dishes called mezze, such as the restaurant's insanely popular fried cauliflower; a hummus so ethereal that it put Zahav on the culinary map; and a pink lentil soup with lamb meatballs that one critic called "Jerusalem in a bowl." It also includes a majestic dome of Persian wedding rice and a whole roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate and chickpeas that's a celebration in itself. All Solomonov's dishes are brilliantly adapted to local and seasonal ingredients.

Zahav tells an authoritative and personal story of how Solomonov embraced the food of his birthplace. With its blend of technique and passion, this book shows readers how to make his food their own.

Review Citations:

• Publishers Weekly 06/15/2015 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
• Library Journal 09/15/2015 pg. 102 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover)
• Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/02/2015 pg. 45 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover)
• Shelf Awareness 12/04/2015 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover)
• New York Times Book Review 12/06/2015 pg. 20 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover)
• Entertainment Weekly 01/08/2016 pg. 106 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover)
• Wilson Nonfiction Catalog 04/11/2019 (EAN 9780544373280, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Solomonov, Michael

Michael Solomonov is the multiple James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef behind Zahav, which won the 2019 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award and was named an "essential" restaurant by Eater. He is the coauthor of four cookbooks: the James Beard Award-winning Zahav, Federal Donuts, Israeli Soul, and the forthcoming Zahav Home. He and business partner Steven Cook are the co-owners of the nationally beloved, trailblazing Philadelphia hospitality group, CookNSolo, responsible for hit restaurants celebrating the vibrant cuisine of Israeli: Dizengoff, Federal Donuts, Goldie, K'Far Café, Laser Wolf, Lilah, and Zahav.

Steven Cook is the coauthor of four cookbooks: the James Beard Award-winning Zahav, Federal Donuts, Israeli Soul, and the forthcoming Zahav Home. He and chef Michael Solomonov are the co-owners of the nationally beloved trailblazing Philadelphia hospitality group, CookNSolo, responsible for hit restaurants celebrating Israeli cuisine: Dizengoff, Federal Donuts, Goldie, K'Far Café, Laser Wolf, Lilah, and Zahav.